Country umpires put under pressure

Camera IconCountry umpires will have to follow the new AFL rules.Picture: Getty Images

A senior country football umpire has questioned the WA Country Football League’s decision to implement the new AFL rules across its competitions.

Umpires across regional WA will begin learning to officiate the new AFL rules after the WACFL voted to adopt them in the 2019 season at their Annual General Meeting on Saturday night.

In October the AFL introduced nine new rule and interpretation changes, which will now be enforced in country football.

These include the six-six-six rule which requires six players from each team to be in the three sections of the ground at centre bounces, players no longer having to kick to themselves when playing on from a kick-in and the man on the mark will be positioned an extra five metres back at kick-ins.

Kevin Nettleton who has umpired more than 700 games in the South West Football League, said some of the new rules were easier to officiate than others.

The six-six-six rule he believed would be difficult to implement during games.

“The assumption would be that the AFL has a three-umpire system, so does that take the focus from the centre square contest, to one monitoring each end of the ground and one in the centre square,” he said.

“Country football the majority of the time runs a two-umpire system. I question how you are going to do that with 100 per cent accuracy.

“It goes back going to the AFL probably needing to look at implementation of two versions of the laws of the game — AFL and community.”

Nettleton said he hoped they would not implement the 10m exclusion zone rule in country football, due to the fitness level of some of the players.

WACFL acting general manager Brent Sheridan said umpires Statewide would begin to learn to officiate these rules as part of their ongoing education.

“Regional leagues have been advised of the new rules that will be in play for 2019,” he said.

“They will begin to work their umpiring panels in what that will look like for their particular competitions.

“It will be an ongoing education for all our umpires Statewide as to how they implement and police the new rules.”